The United States must live up to its responsibility in the 1978 Camp David peace agreement between Israel and Egypt and fulfill “peace and justice” for the Palestinians, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi told The New York Times.
"As long as peace and justice are not fulfilled for the Palestinians," Morsi told the Times, "then the treaty (Camp David) remains unfulfilled." Morsi is scheduled to visit the U.S. this week for the first time as the leader of Egypt.
Morsi told the Times that America’s support for Israel over the is "essentially purchas[ing] with American taxpayer money the dislike, if not the hatred, of the peoples of the region."
Morsi said the U.S. should help curb the hatred by helping the Palestinians establish a state.
In separate interview with Egyptian state television, Morsi said having a strong relationship with Iran is important for Egypt to help end the bloodshed in Syria, the
Jerusalem Post reported.
He described Iran as "a main player in the region that could have an active and supportive role in solving the Syrian problem."
Iran recently joined Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in a quest to try to find a solution to the violence in Syria, according to the Jerusalem Post.
"I don't see the presence of Iran in this quartet as a problem, but is a part of solving the (Syrian) problem," Morsy told the TV station. He said he could meet with top officials of the three states of the Quartet during the United Nations general assembly meeting he is attending in New York.
"And we do not have a significant problem with Iran, it (the relation between Egypt and Iran) is normal like with the rest of the world's states," Morsy told the TV station. He became the first Egyptian president to visit the Islamic republic in decades, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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